Index for



(No Model.)

J. s. SHANNON. INDEX FOR PAPER FILES.

No. 331,259. Patented-Nov. 24. I885.

I Inveniur:

Junta-55W w a C," M

Ilrrn TATBS ATENT which.

JAMES S. SHANNON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

lNDEX FOR PAPER-FILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,259, dated November 24:, 1885.

Application filed March 5, 1884. Serial No. 123,055. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES S. SHANNON, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indexes for Paper-Files and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specifica tion.

This invention relates to indexes for the class of temporary files for letters or papers; and it consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed outin the claim.

The index is herein illustrated as applied to that class of temporary files consisting of a base-board, two vertical wires secured therein, and two arched and movable transferwires arranged'end to end with the vertical wires,

so as to form therewith two equal arches in parallel planes, andin which the arched wires are so constructed that the curved or arched portions may be swung away from the vertical wires to open the arches and admit the papers.

The index, as herein shown, consists of a series of sheets or strips of heavy paper made of sufficient length to extend beyond the edges of the papers placed upon the file at one side of the base-board, perforated and strung upon the wires of the file-arches, and arranged in pairs of equal width, each pair being wider than the pair above it, and the lower strip of each pair being longer than the strip above it, so that index-letters placed upon the ends of the several strips will be exposed to view, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The index preferably consists of a series of pairs of narrow transverse strips or sheets of unequal width arranged with the widest pair at the bottom, the lower strip of each pair being made longer than the upper one at the end of the index upon which the characters are placed. By this construction theindex-characters upon each two adjacent sheets appear side by side, so that the total length of the exposed parts of the sheets bearing the indexcharacters is twice as wide but only half as long as in similar indexes as heretofore usually constructed.

In the accompanying drawing is shown a perspective view of a file illustrating my invention.

The temporary file herein shown is of a form for which a patent has heretofore been granted to me. In the said file, Ais the base-board, to

which is attached abase-plate, B, for the sup-' port of the paper-holding wires of the file.

O G are two vertical parallel receivingwires, rigidly secured to the base A, and D D are two arched transfer-wires, mounted rotatably in the base-plateB back of the wires 0 O. The upper portions of the wires D D are bent or arched,as shown,so thatthe ends of the arched portions meet the upper ends of the wires 0 O. The wires Gand D together form two equal arches in parallel planes, adapted to be opened and closed by a rotary motion of the vertical parts of the wires D in the base-plate B, by which movement the said wires D may be swung laterally away from or toward the wires 0. The ends of the wires D D are preferably constructed to swing outward away from the receiving-wires 0, means being provided for connecting the said wires 1) within the baseplate B, so constructed that when one arched wire is turned the other will also be turned, preferably in the opposite direction. Such devices are fully set forth in the patent referred to, and need not be further described herein. 'Iwo upright gage-wires, E, are shown in the drawings as fixed in the plateA behind the wires 0, for guiding the papers upon the said wires. Such guide-wires are not, however, essential.

F is an index composed of a series of preferably stout paper sheets or strips, apertured to freely fit the wires 0 C, and extending at one side of the base-board A to the edge thereof, so that they will project at such side beyond the margins of the papers upon the file.

In the form of device illustrated, the indcx consists of a series of relatively narrow strips arranged transversely of the board A, and extending at their ends and at one side of the board, so as to project beyond the papers in the file, as before mentioned. In this case the first two strips and each succeeding two strips are of equal width; but the lower one, as f of each two is enough longer, as indicated at f than the superposed one, f,

to reveal the letter thereon at the right of the letter upon the upper one. Each two of the unequally-long strips is wider, also, than the next two above them, so as to leave exposed portions f upon which letters are placed, said letters being revealed below those on the superposed two index-strips. By this construction the widest of the indexstrips will extend only half as far toward the foot of the file-board as they would do if each sheet were made wider than that above it to reveal its index-letter. This is a material advantage, as will be apparent.

The operation of the device illustrated in connection with the form of temporary file herein shown is as follows: In placing papers upon the file, the papers having a given initial letter are preferably applied to the wires 0, beneath the strip bearing the said letter; and, for convenince, when many papers are to be filed they are grouped according to their initials. In the operation of placing the papers upon the file the arches are closed and the index-strip nearest the beginning of the alphabet is lifted with the superposed papers, if any, and is thrown over the arched part of the wires D and upon the vertical parts thereof. The latter wires are then rotated to open the arches, and the papers having the proper initial are dropped upon the wires 0, after which the wires are again closed and another index-strip lifted, and so on as before After all the papers have been placed upon the file,

said papers and the index-strips which are perposed papers and strips are lifted and transferred to the vertical parts of the wires D. The paper which is uppermost may then be seen; or, if a paper is to be inserted or removed, the arches may be opened for that purpose and then closed,after which the transferred papers may be returned to the wires C.

When a permanent filing-case is used in connection with a temporary file, above described, or when the papers are to be otherwise disposed of, the index-sheets may be transferred with the papers and serve, when they are placed in the permanent file or elsewhere, to facilitate the inspection on finding of any one of such papers.

The use of the index above described is contemplated in connection with any file having stationary wires and transfer wires or tubes for temporarily receiving the papers from thestationary wires, and the operation of the index will obviously be the same in such case as when used in connection with the particular device described.

I claim as my invention v The combination, with the receiving-wires of afile, of a series of index sheets or strips loosely fitted upon the wires and arranged in pairs of equal width, each pair being of greater width than the pair above it, and the lower strip of each pair being longer thanthe superposed strip of the pair, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES S. SHANNON. 

